Poison (Larry Stylinson AU)

Chapter Four

Louis~

The hall was still rampant with panic. Guards rushed about, leaving Harry's side to go imprison all of the Mercian citizens.

I couldn't think of what to do, so I stayed helpless at Harry's side with my brain in a haze.

"Harry!? Oh my God!?" Another person joined at my side.

It was someone I had seen with Harry before, but I was clueless as to what their name was.

"What happened to him?" They questioned frantically.

Nothing in my brain was working.

"We have to get him to Zayn." He said ignoring my lack of response.

The instruction stirred something awake in me. I think it must've been just having some form of direction and a next step. With the help of Harry's friend we managed to get Harry off of the floor. Both of us had one of Harry's arms over our shoulders and we began dragging him out of the room.

On the way out I became vaguely aware of my fathers voice shouting out for me, but Harry needs me first.

We quickened our pace once we got outside of the banquet hall and away from the chaos. The entire time I was just praying that Zayn, the court physician, was in the infirmary.

We busted through the door, and much to my relief Zayn was hunched over his desk. He rose, alarmed at the sudden rush in his previously quiet infirmary. Upon seeing Harry's unconscious figure he lept into 'doctor-mode', and directed us to place him on the cot in the center of the room.

"Poisoned." I choked out, trying to catch my breath.

Quickly Zayn ushered both me and Harry's friend out of the room and closed the door behind us.

After leaving Harry alone with Zayn everything started hitting me all at once. Panic had set in.

I could hear my heart racing in my ears and my chest was beginning to tighten. Every once in a while I would reach my shaking hands up to run my fingers through my hair, trying to take in a deep breath without success.

Harry's friend just watched with sad understanding eyes from where he had placed himself seated on the floor.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I let my back slide against the wall and slump to the floor. Everything I had held inside of me came rushing out at once. I couldn't catch my breath through the uncontrollable sobs that strangled their way out of me.

"Mate you need to breathe." Harry's friend cooed and slid himself to my side. "I've got you, just breathe."

He took me into a warm embrace and encouraged me to start calming down. I hiccuped into his shoulder a few times before slowly regaining control.

Our embrace separated slowly and he watched me with a careful expression. I gave him a reassuring nod and we both sat back against the wall, waiting again in silence.

"My name's Liam by the way, unfortunate this is how we had to meet." He said, with a sad smile.

-

I don't know how much time had passed when Zayn finally opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

Both mine and Liam's heads snapped up, searching in Zayn's face for some sign of Harry's condition.

His expression was not what I'd hoped.

I began to brace myself for what he was going to say next.

"Harry is stable for now." Zayn started. "I've sedated him to keep him comfortable and hopefully slow the course of the poison, but since I have no idea what he was poisoned with there's nothing more I can do to treat him. All we can do is keep him comfortable and stay by his side until he passes." He pauses. "At best I'd guess he has maybe a week until the poison reaches his heart."

It felt like a pile of bricks had fallen from the sky, directly onto me.

Harry was going to die. And it was all to save me.

Wordlessly I rose from the floor and made my way past Zayn to Harry's side.

I think a part of me was hoping Harry looked peaceful, maybe to make this easier. Instead I found him soaked in sweat and taking in shallow, strangled sounding breaths.

His hair had fallen out of the bun I had put it in earlier.

My heart lurched thinking back to that moment, it was likely to be our last moment together. More tears threatened to fight their way from my eyes again, but instead I brushed a few of Harry's curls away from his eyes.

I just want to scoop him up and make him okay again.

If only we knew what he was poisoned with.

Wait.

The Mercian King did this. Niall must've known this was going to happen. That's why he appeared to be so ill at dinner.

I turned and bolted out of the room.

-